Olympic shooting uses highly specialized small‑caliber target rifles, not typical hunting or military rifles.

Main answer

For the Summer Olympics rifle events, athletes use:

  • 10m air rifle
    • Caliber: 4.5 mm (.177) pellet air rifle.
    • Power: Compressed air or CO₂, single‑shot, extremely low recoil.
    • Purpose: Indoor event at 10 m, focused on extreme precision and consistency.
  • 50m rifle (3‑positions and prone)
    • Caliber: 5.6 mm (.22 Long Rifle) “small‑bore” cartridge.
* Weight: Up to 8 kg for general events, with women’s small‑bore rifles often capped slightly lighter (around 6.5 kg).

* Purpose: Fired at 50 m from kneeling, prone, and standing positions, with rifles tuned for accuracy rather than power.

For the Winter Olympics biathlon:

  • Biathlon rifle
    • Caliber: .22 LR only, standardized for Olympic biathlon.
* Notes: Lightweight, straight‑pull action rifles (around 4 kg) designed for fast cycling and shooting immediately after intense skiing.

In all these events, the common theme is a small‑caliber, precision‑built target rifle designed for accuracy, adjustability, and minimal recoil, rather than destructive power.

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.